


Communication Skills

by misura



Category: G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)
Genre: M/M, POV Outsider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-02
Updated: 2017-04-02
Packaged: 2018-10-14 01:35:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10526136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: "Someone should really knock those two guys's heads together, get them to sit down for a good talk," Roadblock said.





	

Watching Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow have a go at each other on the practice mat was ... really something. Flint'd always been peripherally aware of Snake-Eyes's skills - and Storm Shadow's, too, of course, in a 'know your enemy' sort of way, but he'd never been able to just stand back and watch.

It wasn't as if there weren't a million things to do right now, either, but by some silent agreement, everyone'd ended up here.

For what was supposed to be a friendly fight, Flint felt there was rather a lot of tension in the air. Not the kind of tension that ended with someone needing first aid, he didn't think - just tension.

"Someone should really knock those two guys's heads together, get them to sit down for a good talk," Roadblock said.

Flint swallowed a pointed comment. Jaye chuckled. "You and Snake get a lot of those, sir?"

Roadblock shrugged. "We get by. Thing is, for the really important stuff, you don't need words."

_Just a time machine, right?_ Flint got the whole 'the enemy of my enemy' part, he really did, but that didn't stop him from really, really disliking the guy.

Jaye seemed to think he was holding a grudge over being almost-but-not-exactly gutted at their first meeting as sort-of allies.

Jaye was a smart lady, but sometimes, she was just plain wrong.

"I get into a fight with my wife, you think all it takes to get me out of the doghouse is some pretty words?" Roadblock shook his head. "Think again."

Flint tried to imagine Roadblock arguing with his wife. It didn't happen. Possibly, the fact that he'd only met Mrs Roadblock once or twice played a part.

"You're saying Snake-Eyes reminds you of your wife, sir?" Jaye asked.

Roadblock shrugged. "Marriage is all about commitment. So's friendship. It's about trust, Jaye. About looking another person in the eye and knowing you'd put your life in their hands without a second thought."

"Right." Jaye didn't bother pointing out that wasn't a 'no'. Flint smirked, until he remembered who the other person in this charming comparison was.

"Now these two, they've got some history," Roadblock went on. As if either Jaye or Flint needed the reminder. "A good talk might help clear the air, open up future possibilities."

Flint felt that was really going too far. "Storm Shadow's a killer, sir."

"You think I'm some kind of saint?" Roadblock asked.

_Pretty much, yeah._ Flint knew he'd made mistakes, but that wasn't exactly the same as willingly joining an organization like COBRA and doing their bidding.

"Man wants to turn his back on his past and start making amends, I say good on him. I may not trust him - heck, I might not even like him, but I'll give him a fair chance. Especially when he's got one of my best friends vouching for him."

"He said he wasn't with us," Flint said. _But this once, I am not against you._

"Yeah." Roadblock snorted. "Ninjas, huh? Always with the talking."

"Another thing Snake's got in common with your wife, sir?"

"Naw. I'm definitely the talker." Roadblock shook his head. "But, like I said, talking only gets you so far."

"How about chopping another guy to pieces with a really sharp sword?" Not that Flint thought Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow were actively trying to hurt each other.

"I'm sure that can be a cathartic experience," Roadblock said.

"Cathartic?"

"It means - "

"I know what it means. Sir," Flint added, a little late. "It's just - I don't see it. At all."

"I do," Jaye said. "A little. I mean, the resemblance between Snake and your wife - can't believe I missed it all this time, sir. Uncanny." Flint admired the way she kept a perfectly straight face.

Roadblock sighed. "I'm going to regret making that comparison, aren't I?"

 

/"I am _not_ your wife."/

A shrug.

/"I am also not your husband. This conversation is ridiculous."/

Another shrug.

/"If you don't make this fight worth my while in the next fifteen seconds, you can be the one sleeping on the couch tonight."/

 

Roadblock grinned. "Now there's the Snake-Eyes we all know and love."

"Some of us more than others, apparently."

Jaye frowned. "You think he was holding back earlier, sir?"

"Like I said: plenty of ways to communicate without using your mouth."

"Right," Flint said, a little relieved. "So you don't actually believe they're - you know."

"I'm sure I don't, and even if I did, I'd say it's none of my business," Roadblock said. "Word to the wise: never stick your nose in another person's marriage, no matter how good a friend they are. Some things are private."

"While others are just plain weird?"

"The preferred term is 'complicated', Jaye," Roadblock said. "But yeah. That's what I figure."

 

/"Better. I suppose you haven't entirely lost your edge after all."/

A kick.

Storm Shadow grinned, unseen by anyone except the man who didn't need to see his face to know its expression. (Then again, he did not need to see Snake-Eyes's face either to know what it looked like.)


End file.
